Robbery, 'rape' in bus: 3 arrestees released on bail

A Natore court has granted bail to three persons apprehended over a robbery and reported rape of a female passenger in a Rajshahi-bound Unique Road Royals bus due to a lack of specific charges against them.

Baraigram Magistrate Court granted bail to the suspects – the driver of the bus Bablu Islam, his helper Sumon Islam and supervisor Mahbul Alam - on Wednesday (19 February).

They have been released on bail on the condition of appearing at the Mirzapur Police Station in Tangail as the incident took place in an area under their jurisdiction, according to police and court sources.

The suspects were under Section 54 of the Code of Criminal Procedure as no case was filed over the incident, Natore Additional Superintendent of Police Mahmuda Sharmin Neli.

Citing victims of the incident, several media reports said the Rajshahi-bound Unique Road Royals bus left Gabtoli at around 11:00pm on Monday night with around 40 passengers. The robbery started at around 12:30am on Tuesday when the bus reached Mirzapur in Tangail.

The incident took place after the bus picked up some people from the road in the Chandra area of Gazipur.

"Three robbers were already in the bus sitting on the seats in the back when it left Gabtoli. After a while, five more people boarded the bus. Then one of the robbers took control of the steering wheel of the bus," said Sohag Hossain, one of the victims of the robbery.

"The robbers stabbed a passenger. His white shirt was soaked in blood. Then the passenger gave them everything, including his money, without saying a word. They stabbed another person in the hand with a knife. The flesh on his hand was cut open. Out of fear, all the passengers gave them [robbers] everything they had," the report adds.

Another victim, Majnu Akand of Moukhara village in Natore's Baraigram, said that the robbers "molested the girls in the bus. The girls screamed in such a way that they felt that the robbers had harmed them."

He further said that the robbers got down from the bus after driving it around the area for three hours and looting everything including money and gold ornaments from all the passengers.

"Then the bus staff started making excuses. They said that their car had no fuel or money. They will not go," Majnu is quoted as saying.

He also said the bus staff tried to force the passengers to get off the bus.

"At this time, the passengers unanimously announced that none of them would get off the bus. If they died, they would die in the bus. After this announcement, the bus staff resumed running the bus."